Quote/s of the Day – 15 January – Readings: Phillippians 3:7-12, Matthew 11:25-34 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heartand you will find rest for your souls…” Matthew 11:29 “For in prosperity,a man is often puffed up with pride,whereas tribulations chastensand humbles him through suffering […]
Quote/s of the Day – 15 January – … Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart …’ Matthew 11:29 — AnaStpaul
Today’s Moon: The Moon is in Aries to 9:46 AM, after which the Moon is in Taurus. A void Moon period occurs from 2:22 AM to 9:46 AM today. The Moon is waxing and in its First Quarter phase. The First Quarter Moon occurs today at 1:11 PM. Retrogrades: Venus Rx and Uranus Rx. Venus…
Astrology of Today – Monday, January 10, 2022 — Astrology Cafe
Rearrange your heart
The earth whispering her name –
in freshening wind
Copyright Francis 2022
A voyage begins
with a host of assumptions.
Point one I refute
*Copyright Francis 2021
The 10 of Cups suggests that we are at least at some major hiatus point, both spiritually and emotionally. Reset may be too strong a word, and resets can be good or bad… I pray it is a ‘good’ one, naturally. The word Apocalypse, despite its dire reputation, literally means revelation, showing the truth – and don’t we need that?
The 8 of Swords in the background suggests to me that there is some major achievement in the realms of the mind and media which we are just not getting – yet. As to the nature of this, I am not sure, but it may involve new forms of communication which can be trusted and be more stable for humanity as a whole. This card, for me, represents the second decanate of Gemini, ruled by Venus, hinting at a generally positive development which can aid and secure all our interactions.
The Magician in the outcome position indicates that our future can be self-determined and that we can make a positive fresh start, perhaps even literally manifest heaven upon this earth, in time. We, as individuals, neighbourhoods, regions and nations, will have the ability to manifest what we need through our will power, to make changes in our lives, so long as we have the right motivation to do good for the whole, as well as for ourselves and our families. Well, let’s make it so.
Copyright Francis 2021
Nature of the realm
I dispute – your sovereignty
indisputable
Copyright Francis 2021
I asked the cards how we were doing, not only in my country England and the UK, but also in the world in a general sense.
We have, after all, been in this particularly crazy and trying situation for nearly two years now, together. Are things getting better, clearer, or not?
For this question I used my own 7 card spread, which I call the ‘7 day week spread’. It’s not actually about 7 days but rather I’m using the 7 known traditional ‘planets’, including the Sun and Moon, as delineators for important areas of our national and international lives.
For example card 1 at the centre is my Sun (ie Sunday) card, which represents authority, government, monarchy, general well-being. Moon and Saturn days are self explanatory, but Tuesday is Mars, Wednesday is Mercury, Thursday is Jupiter and Friday is Venus. Think of the days of the week in French and you’ll get there.
For this reading I’m using one of my favoured Tarot de Marseille decks, the Ancient Italian Tarot by Lo Scarabeo.
So let’s start with the centre Sun card, which in this spread is La Papessa, or the High Priestess in the Rider-Waite decks. It is card 2 of the major arcana, indicating a feminine energy and perhaps a split or duality (2) in the situation right now. At the same time I think divine help is at hand and if we ask sincerely we can find out what’s been going on with all of our governmental institutions. Creatively too, it is time for self help, to look more deeply and not take everything at face value.
Card 2 is the Moon card on the top left of the spread, in this case the 7 of Wands, which for me is the first decanate of Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter. The Moon represents emotion, feeling, the masses, family. I think we are making good progress here with our own discernment, we know our feelings have been played with and we are beginning to see with more clarity that certain strategies won’t work, whilst some others will. I think the ball is now in our court and we can come through in a much more positive forward thinking fashion.
Card 3 is the Mars card (Tuesday) on the top right of the spread – the Sun. Mars represents individual energy, drive, industry. The Sun shows that things are looking more positive, that we can project and make changes, begin to force our own futures for the better. New ventures should generally prosper from now on so long as they are grounded in sound principles.
Card 4 is the Mercury card (Wednesday) on the very top. Mercury is all to do with the mind, communication and the media. Here we have the Chariot, a very positive sign that things are changing. We will have freedom of movement and choice locally, we will be able to organise on a more local basis. I think we can look forward to a change in the media too, the way it is presented as ‘news’. This is likely to be quite radical, but may begin quite slowly. The sun will begin to shine in areas that have been dark for too long.
Card 5 is the Jupiter card (Thursday) at the very bottom. Jupiter is long distance travel, higher education, religion, spirituality and justice. The Hanged Man here shows that long distance travel will continue to be problematic for a time but will get easier in its own time. I think we are all going to be shocked at certain legal issues too, yet find that certain outcomes were absolutely necessary and justice will come in due course.
Card 6 is the Venus card (Friday) on the bottom left. Venus is our relationships, where we feel good about ourselves. Here we have the King of Coins or Pentacles, which to me represents Taurus. I think it’s suggesting that it’s time to reconnect to the earth, to nature and to simple things. It also shows that we are due some good news in regard to all this, which might even involve the issue of money and its usage.
Card 7 is the Saturn card (Saturday) on the bottom right. This is my longer term card, or possible outcome. Here we have the Ace of Wands, which is a very positive card indeed in this placing. All is about to be renewed, it would seem, from the ground up but most especially in a spiritual sense, for this card represents the beginning of spring, the first decanate of Aries ruled by Mars. It may even suggest that by next spring, 2022, we will be well on the way to recovery and forging new lives and communities for ourselves, beyond any limitation authorities can impose upon us. Let’s hope so.
Copyright Francis 2021
Flat line of the sea,
firm footing on the shore — breath
of wind on my face
Copyright Francis 2021
Many assume Aquarius is a water sign, mainly because the name means literally ‘water’ (from the latin Aqua), and the glyph represents dual flowing waves of some medium.
A more elaborate symbol of the sign is a figure pouring water from a jar, the ‘water bearer’, or ‘water carrier’, further underlining the assumption that Aquarius is a water sign.
But Aquarius isn’t a water sign; the name and the glyph are kind of metaphorical, showing a way of working, a process, a methodology, rather than something definitive. Aquarius represents a free flowing process, an openness, perhaps something like the world wide web, where in theory at least, information en masse is available for all to assess and discern using their own wisdom.
And what does a water carrier do? It’s not so much the actual medium of water that is important. Anyone could get a drink of water if they so wish. But the water carrier symbolises pouring out for all, being of service to the many.
Aquarius is the fixed air sign. The medium of air is to do with communication, mentality, sociability. But how fixed can air be? Perhaps one way of viewing it is concentration. A concentration of air is like a strong wind, or maybe a fresh breeze to blow away the cobwebs, in preparation for something new, fresher, better.
Aquarius is the second sign after the winter solstice, when the sun appears to stop and begin to move northward again. Capricorn begins the process, like some earthing or crystallisation, laying firm foundations, as befits the Saturn rulership of that sign.
So Aquarius is also ruled by Saturn (not Uranus, in my opinion), but it’s a different side of ‘the great teacher’. Saturn plans ahead, systematically with ideas, and with Aquarius this builds for the future — the hopes, dreams and wishes of mankind, upon the materialistic foundations of Capricorn, for the coming spring in the north, the fall in the south, as the sun moves relentlessly northward.
The water bearer’s energy is powerful at present and change is on its way. Not the violent, revolutionary change of Uranus, but the instigation of ‘plan a’ of the ages — the beginning of a ‘golden age’ which we are blessed to witness.
Copyright Francis 2021
“The stars are closer than you think.”
The shaman left me with this admonition,
hobbling away with his stick of gnarled ash.
There was a look in his eye,
glint of a star — his soul,
still stalking this barren land.
As the day began to break,
blue shafts were piercing orange and red,
a warning; creation speaking
and thought becoming instant form;
a mounting cumulus cloud,
shape of a lion’s head.
“The world is mind,” he’d said,
“dreaming us into existence
and what we may be.”
The cloud soon morphed
to show a crescent Moon,
then Venus, morning and evening star,
companions for my journey home.
Copyright Francis 2021
I might be mistaken, but over the past year there seems to have been a growing interest in a retrograde Mercury and what it means. I hear people with little astrological knowledge even referring to it. This may be simply due to us having had more time to investigate such astrological facts.
But of course, Mercury, like the other planets, do not actually move backwards at all, they merely seem to due to our perspective here on the good earth.
Then there is the technical side, like pre and post shadow phases which enclose the actual retrogradation, or backwards motion. Whilst the times are exact, there is not as much agreement as to the effects of retrograde planets as one would think. In fact there are some who don’t give it much credence at all.
However, if retrogradation is significant for any planet and ourselves, I would think that Mercury must top the list, purely because it is the ‘winged messenger’, Hermes in Greek, the mind, communication in all its forms and the media in general.
The whole period in which Mercury goes through pre shadow, retrograde, and post shadow, can therefore represent a phase of time in which communication is not straightforward at all, and at times flagrantly misleading.
Right now, in early February 2021, we are in the middle of the retrograde phase of Hermes/Mercury, so we could be experiencing a higher than average occurrence of communicative problems and challenges, such as misunderstandings of all kinds, computer problems, travel issues, not only personally but as a society.
We should therefore also be cautious about what we read — anywhere — and take nothing for granted. This is a time to trust our intuition more, to meditate, contemplate, basically go inward; we need to get our ‘news’ directly from source rather than through a medium, if at all possible.
Mercury turns direct around February 20 and moves out of post shadow around March 13. Bearing this in mind, we are likely to remain somewhat misled, perhaps confused, until around that first date, when things may become a little clearer, whether in regard to personal issues, or more mundane ones. Full clarity about what has transpired over the previous two months may not be obvious until the latter date, in the middle of March. Let’s see.
One interesting thought, Mercury is in Aquarius throughout this period, which to my mind is very well placed. I think there is a case that Mercury is actually exalted in Aquarius rather than its traditional exaltation in Virgo. The fact that there is much other Aquarian activity at the moment is also highly significant I feel, underlining the importance of Mercury’s presence in Aquarius right now.
Aquarius is an air sign and therefore, like Mercury, communicative — but in a profound, truthful and humanitarian way. This would put Mercury’s fall in Leo, an interesting thought which I won’t go into here.
So Mercury turning direct in Aquarius around February 20 and moving beyond through post shadow, could potentially represent a revelatory few days and weeks, with much profound insight. There could be a slow unravelling of a certain situation, and then from middle March, things may begin to ease somewhat towards the first day of spring on March 21.
Maybe the New Year will truly begin around that date.
Copyright Francis 2021
The Elloe Recorder 